Basketball Set For Road Contest at Bradley

GAME #3 - EASTERN MICHIGAN at BRADLEY
Date	Tuesday, Nov. 15 \| 7 p.m. CT (8 p.m. ET)
Venue	Peoria, Ill. \| Carver Arena
Preview Info	EMU Notes \| Media Guide
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN+
Listen	No Radio \| Eastern Insider Podcast
Tickets	Purchase Season Tickets
Twitter	@EMU_MBB \| @EMUAthletics

PEORIA, Ill. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team returns to action Tuesday, Nov. 15, as the Eagles are set to face the Bradley University Braves (1-1) inside Carver Arena in Peoria, Ill. The first "true" road game of the 2022-23 campaign for the Eagles (1-1) is set to tip at 7 p.m. CT (8 p.m. ET) and is part of the 2022 Cancun Challenge.
The game will be aired live on ESPN+ with Brian Bedo and Matt McClain calling the action. There will be no radio coverage for this game.

OPENING TIPS:
» Eastern is 12-36 in its first "true" road game of the year since joining NCAA Division I (1974-75).
» The Eagles are coming off their first loss of the season, an 88-83 setback to No. 22 University of Michigan in front of 14,024 fans at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich.
» Bradley is the second team Eastern will face this year that appears in preseason rankings as the Braves are the top team receiving votes in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 rankings.
» Emoni Bates had a debut to remember against Michigan as he finished with 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting (3-of-6 from three) while adding five rebounds in 34 minutes.
» Bates' 30-point performance is the best point total in an Eastern debut since at least the 1998-99 season and is just the 25th, 30-point performance for an EMU player since that season.
» Orlando Lovejoy (10-of-10) is one of 106 players nationally perfect on the year in free throws and one of just four in the Mid-American Conference.

CANCUN CHALLENGE: Eastern and Bradley are both competing in the Cancun Challenge, albeit in different divisions, when the tournament takes place Nov. 22-23 at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya in Cancun, Mexico. The Eagles are part of the Mayan Division and will face Purdue University-Fort Wayne in the opener before facing either the University of Southern Miss or Winthrop University. The Braves, part of the Riviera Division, are set to face Auburn University in their opener and will face either Liberty University or Northwestern University. All games will be aired live on FloHoops.

LIFTING LIDS AGAIN: The game at Bradley is the first "true" road game of the season for Eastern after playing at home against Wayne State University Nov. 7 and in a neutral site in Detroit, Nov. 11, against No. 22 Michigan. Since making the move to NCAA Division I in time for the 1974-75 season, the Eagles are 12-36 in their first road contest of the season and have lost two in a row, including a close, 68-62 setback at Indiana University, Nov. 9, 2021. The last time the Eagles won their road opener was Nov. 16, 2019, a 56-51 win at the University of North Texas. That game, much like Tuesday's game at Bradley, was a crossover game played in the United States before both teams traveled to the Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic, an event EMU won.

SCOUTING BRADLEY: The Braves enter the game with a 1-1 record on the year after dropping their most recent game, 84-62, at Utah State University Nov. 11. Bradley, who opened the season with a 93-59 win at home over the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, has four players averaging double figures, including Ja'Shon Henry, who is averaging a team-high 13.0 points per game while adding a team-best 6.5 rebounds. Entering the season, Bradley was among the top teams on the receiving votes list in CollegeInsider.com's Mid-Major Top 25 preseason rankings (Oct. 31).

IN THE SERIES WITH BRADLEY:
» The Braves lead the all-time series, 1-0, after winning the first meeting, 86-85, in double overtime.
» The first meeting was played inside Carver Arena in Peoria, Ill., March 16, 1995, and was the first round of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).
» Brian Tolbert led the Eagles in scoring with 23 while Theron Wilson scored 20, Kareem Carpenter added 19, and Earl Boykins chipped in 13.

QUICK REVIEW • SHOWDOWN IN MOTOWN: The Battle for Washtenaw County took place Nov. 11 inside Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit with the Eagles giving No. 22 Michigan all it could handle in an eventual 88-83 Wolverine victory. The game, which saw 14,204 fans on hand, was broadcast live on ESPNU and featured an outstanding performance from Emoni Bates, who was making his EMU debut.
» Bates finished his debut with 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting, including 3-of-6 from three, while chipping in five boards in 34 minutes of play.
» Bates' 30-point performance was the first for the Eagles since last season when Farrakhan tallied 31 against Northern Illinois University Feb. 22, 2022.
» Farrakhan finished with 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting while also leading the team in rebounding with six boards. Farrakhan also handed out three assists, the second-most on the team, and recorded one steal.
» Acuff had an improved outing over his debut Nov. 7, against Wayne State as the sophomore tallied 10 points to reach double digits for the eighth time in his career and the first time since scoring 15 for Duquesne University March, 2, 2022, against George Washington University.

EMONI IS ELECTRIC: To say Emoni Bates announced his return in style would be an understatement as the sophomore went off in front of a national television audience Nov. 11 while helping the Eagles nearly upset No. 22 Michigan. Bates, playing his first game for Eastern, went off for 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting, including 3-of-6 from three, to lead the team in scoring on the night. Bates, who chipped in five rounds during his 34 minutes of action, bettered several collegiate career highs on the night, including points (17 vs. Tennessee Tech University, Nov. 9, 2021), made field goals (six vs. Saint Louis University, Nov. 19, 2021), field goal attempts (12 vs. University of Central Florida, Jan. 12, 2022), and minutes played (21 vs. Western Kentucky University, Nov. 21, 2021).

DYNAMIC DEBUT: Emoni Bates' 30-point performance against No. 22 Michigan, Nov. 11, stands as the best Eastern Michigan debut since at least the 1998-99 season. The only Eagle to score 30 or more in a game in his debut during that time, Bates is the first to reach the scoring mark in any game for the Eagles since Noah Farrakhan scored 31 against Northern Illinois, Feb. 22, 2022. That night, Farrakhan hit 11 shots, including three from deep.

OVER 30 CLUB: In the game with No. 22 Michigan Nov. 11, Emoni Bates tallied 30 points. Since the 1998-99 season, Bates is just the 13th Eastern player to score 30 or more in a game and only the second to do so against a nationally ranked opponent, two behind the 32 points Brandon Bowdry scored against then-No. 2 Michigan State, Nov. 12, 2010. Along with Noah Farrakhan's 31-point game last year against Northern Illinois, Feb. 22, 2022, Bates' performance gave the Eagles back-to-back seasons with at least one 30-point game since James Thompson IV and Raven Lee scored 32 Nov. 25, 2015, against Marygrove University, and 50 at Central Michigan University, Feb. 28, 2017, respectively.

LOOKING FOR MORE: Following his 30-point game against No. 22 Michigan, Nov. 11, Emoni Bates could join an exclusive club at Eastern Michigan if he reaches 30 points-or-better at Bradley Nov. 15. Since the 1998-99 season, there is only one instance of an Eagle scoring 30 or more in back-to-back games and that distinction belongs to Ricky Cottrill. During the 2001-02 season, Cottrill scored 31 at the University of Akron, Jan. 7, 2002, and followed that up with 32 points at Marshall University, Jan. 12, 2002. Additionally, if Bates is able to reach 30 points for a second time this season, he will be the first to do so since Raven Lee did so in 2015-16.

IN THE RECORD BOOKS: The Nov. 11 game between Eastern and No. 22 Michigan was the 23rd collegiate game played at Little Caesars Arena, a venue that also has played host to the 2018 and 2019 Horizon League Tournaments and six games in the 2018 NCAA Tournament. Following Friday's game, Emoni Bates and UM's Hunter Dickinson made several alterations to the record book, including points, field goals made, field goals attempts, and shooting percentage. Bates finished the game with 30 points, which ranks fifth; 12 made baskets, which ranks tied for second; 19 field goal attempts, which is tied for seventh; and a 63.1 shooting percentage, which ranks third.

NOAH NETTING: Noah Farrakhan turned in his best game of the season against No. 22 Michigan Nov. 11, as he finished the evening with 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting while connecting on one trey, adding a team-high six rebounds to go with three assists and one steal. With his point total, Farrakhan has now scored 19 or more points in a game for the Eagles 40.7 percent of the time (11-of-27 games) since joining the program last season.

ACUFF ACCLIMATING: Tyson Acuff put together a strong showing against No. 22 Michigan, Nov. 11, as the sophomore tallied 10 points, five rebounds, and team-high four assists. He reached double-digit points for the eighth time in his career and the first time since scoring 15 for Duquesne University March, 2, 2022, against George Washington University. His four assists on the night surpassed his career-best three he recorded last year against the University of Rhode Island in the Atlantic 10 Tournament, March 9, 2022.

EARLY RANKINGS: Through two games this year, Orlando Lovejoy is a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line. According to the NCAA Statistics update Nov. 12, Lovejoy is one of 106 players nationally that are perfect on the year and one of just four in the Mid-American Conference. As a team, the Eagles have connected on 77.8 percent of their free throws this year which ranks them third in the MAC and 45th nationally.

THIEVERY: Legend Geeter finished with eight points and five rebounds on the night against No. 22 Michigan, Nov. 11, while leading the team in steals with three. Those thefts rank as the third-most in a single game in Little Caesars Arena history.

START ME UP: The starting lineup against Wayne State, Nov. 7, featured four newcomers joining returner Noah Farrakhan. The four newcomers not only debuted for the Eagles, but also made their first collegiate starts, including Jalin Billingsley, who played 30 games at Georgetown University last year, and Tyson Acuff, who made 16 starts for Duquense University last year. Redshirt freshman Legend Geeter earned the start in his collegiate debut after sitting out last season at Providence College while true freshman Orlando Lovejoy rounded out the starters. Against No. 22 Michigan, Nov. 11, Emoni Bates joined the starters, making him the fifth newcomer this year to start for the Eagles.

MAKING DEBUTS: Head Coach Stan Heath sent 14 different players to the floor against Wayne State Nov. 7, including eight individuals logging their first collegiate minutes. The four newcomers in the starting lineup were joined by four other rookies making their debuts, a group that included redshirt freshmen Prakash Ketterhagen and Javantae Randall and true freshmen Derik Pranger and JZ Zaher. Then, against No. 22 Michigan, Nov. 11, Emoni Bates became the ninth different player to make his Green and White debut this year.

MILESTONE WATCH: Heading into the season, several wins can help the Eagles reach several milestone victories. With the win over Wayne State, Nov. 7, Eastern now needs 15 more wins to bring its all-time victory total to 1,350 while three more wins would mark 675 all-time wins as an NCAA Division I member. On the home front, the Eagles are now six wins from 225 victories inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center.

UP NEXT: The Eagles will face another local rival as Eastern will travel to Rochester Hills, Mich., Saturday, Nov. 19, to face Oakland University in a 3 p.m. contest inside the Athletics Center O'rena.

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Players Mentioned

Tyson Acuff

Emoni Bates

Jalin Billingsley

Noah Farrakhan

Legend Geeter

Prakash Ketterhagen

Orlando Lovejoy

Derik Pranger

JZ Zaher

Eastern Michigan Athletics